Richmond, VA • Monday, August 31, 2009

Chris Miller joins the team at Rocket Pop

Rocket Pop Media announced today that Chris Miller has joined the company and has been appointed Manager of Strategic Solutions.  Chris brings a decade of Internet marketing experience to Rocket Pop Media, with an emphasis on creative online solutions, social media integration, brand identity, and strategy.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Chris as the newest team member at Rocket Pop,” says Scott Dickens, founder and President.  “He has a tremendous record of innovation and creative thinking, as well as a deep understanding of both our market and the use of online integrated solutions to drive business.”

Miller’s direct responsibilities will include development and sales of integrated social media, video, and online client strategies.  Rocket Pop is looking forward to continued growth with the expansion, including increased brand awareness for SNAP, Rocket Pop Media’s innovative and scalable “Social Networking Acclamation Package.”

“We’re excited to hear about Chris’ involvement at Rocket Pop Media,” said Charlie Diradour of Lion’s Paw Development. “We look forward to continued excellence and the additional resources he will provide as we move forward with Rocket Pop Media.”

Miller provides a wealth of experience and creativity in online marketing from working directly with companies of all sizes over the past 8 years.  Most recently, Chris developed and implemented unique online strategies for local and regional businesses as an independent “Netrepreneur” and consultant.  In the three years prior, he served as the Executive Product Developer for a budding national family web portal.

Chris started his online career early by working on the Clear Channel Radio launch of their multi-station Virginia Internet programs, after selling his mobile/indoor billboard media startup (featured in Entrepreneur Small Business Start Ups).   Other relevant experience includes strategic sales & development for Lamar Outdoor, AmazingMail.com, Valpak Direct Mail Systems, and several other internet specialty companies and website properties.

Rocket Pop Media is a full-service advertising agency providing turnkey solutions for brand development, online marketing, video production, and social media solutions.  The company, founded in 2000 by Scott Dickens, is a boutique agency and production house focused on impact and value for their clients.

For additional information, contact Scott Dickens: (804) 644-2525, or scott@rocketpopmedia.com

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Here’s the deal.  If you’re working on a PC running Windows, please do yourself a favor and kick Internet Explorer to the curb.  I know, it’s easier because Microsoft pre-installs it and makes it the default browser, but that doesn’t mean that it’s the best or the easiest to use.  Once you discover Firefox, you’ll wonder how you got anything done without Add-Ons, Extensions, and all the other bonuses you get in addition to one of the fastest and most compliant browsers in the world.  So, go get your own copy of Firefox here!  Go.

Internet Explorer is notorious for security problems, and has a mind of its own sometimes when rendering html code properly.  Every other browser, no problem. But inevitably something will cease to work on Explorer.  As a web developer,  I’m dealing with at least two of these issues now, so I must admit that my insistence that everyone “cease and desist” with Explorer is at least partly selfish. While Explorer still has a grip on the browser market share on PCs, Firefox has climbed the ladder and now occupies 22.5% market share, including mobile devices, Macs (which you can’t even GET Explorer for anymore – whew!), and PCs that are preset to use Explorer.  That means that a good number of you who come across this article have already seen the light of day!

The other beauty of Firefox is that it’s an open source project, meaning that:

• It’s FREE
• There are thousands of people working on new functionality, plug-ins, add-ons, and extensions to make Firefox even more functional.
• It’s FASTER (Explorer ranks last in this regard when compared to Safari, Opera, and the leader Firefox).
• Cross-platform support

I personally use Macs and an iPhone, so Safari is the default choice rather than IE, but still not as functional and customizable as Firefox.  OK, so when you make the switch (and you WILL), there are about 5,000 add-ons waiting for you to customize your web browsing experience.  There are some essential add-ons and plug-ins and doo-dads and thingamabobs that I find essential to my day, and you might find useful:

PingFire – (pings updates automatically to Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, blog, LinkedIN, etc- adds one button to your menu bar!
All-in-one Sidebar – organizes your add-ons, downloads, etc into a neat single sidebar.
Facebook Toolbar – automatically updates with number of messages, status, etc. – adds to the top menu of Firefox
FoxyTunes – adds a menu bar at the bottom to control iTunes, and monitor what you’re listening to, etc.
TwittyTunes - works with Firefox to ping your Twitter status with what you’re listening to, browsing, interested in, etc with one click. Also shortens URLs automatically.
StumbleUpon – for finding interesting websites, discovery, recommendations, or just inspiration.
TinyURL creator - to automatically shorten really long URL’s for easy emailing and inclusion in Twitter posts.
XMARKS – syncs your bookmarks across all your machines, automatically, including passwords (use at your own risk, although I trust it enough to use it myself.)
Video DownloadHelper – will download any Flash video, quicktime movie, etc from almost ANY website (YouTube, Vimeo, news sites, concerts), and will convert to most formats (including Quicktime), then add to iTunes for a killer video playlist!!
Boost for Facebook -  lets you “skin” Facebook with different themes colors.  Tired of that blue yet??
Clear Cache – adds  a simple button to your toolbar to clear the internet cache.  Really useful for web developers.
FireBug – allows you to view and adjust a site’s HTML/CSS code in real time! Pinpoint where that mysterious formatting problem originates. An ESSENTIAL tool for web designers.  Great for developers to discover file names, CSS formatting, includes, and font treatments embedded in code.

There are literally over 5,000 plug-ins for Firefox, some more useful than others. I use the list above every day, and would have a very hard time using another browser at this point. That should get you started!

Yet another blast from the exhaust of The Rocket Pop.

Ride the Rocket,

Scott Dickens
Owner and Social Media Junkie

I read the NY Times when I have the chance, and this article caught my eye.  It claims that fewer than 30% of iPhone users do work with their iPhones. I beg to differ.  Maybe I don’t represent the masses of users, but in the course of my work, I use the following native apps on my iPhone:

Phone
Mail (I use my iPhone mail reader almost exclusively, especially to weed through the first check of the day – SO easy to sort and delete on the iPhone!)
SMS Text
iCal Calendar
Photos
Camera
iPod (for instructional podcasts, entertainment in the office, transferring and previewing online video files, etc)
WeatherBug (if its going to rain all day, I’m not dragging my camera crew around looking for exterior shots at Lewis Ginter)
YouTube (to preview productions online, provide comps to clients, etc)
Maps
Safari (I develop websites, mobile apps, etc)
OmniFocus (CRM software)
App Store (to keep everything up to date)
NY Times (market info and continuing education, research…like this article)
USA Today (see above)
Newser (ditto…)
Pingle (for updating social networks, blogs, etc)
Facebook (I develop social media brands for local businesses, mobile apps)
Twitteriffic
Tweetie
Twittelator
LinkedIn
MySpace (just to test output for social media clients)
WordPress (for updating this blog, duh)
Yelp (to decide where to take clients to lunch, buy supplies, etc)
Google Earth (to figure out terrain, accessibility, directions to meetings, etc)
MProfs (great marketing newsletter!)
Huff Post (news, market research)
Mashable (market research)
TWC
Joost (video streaming site, testing, etc)
Stitcher (for creating panoramas – great for panning in video!)
Air Sharing (for exchanging files to and from remote locations and my home office)
iHandy Level (for leveling tripods and cameras on-site)
Flashlight (for when we drop a bolt in a dark, smokey bar before a music video shoot, right Josh?)
vCardMailer (like beaming a contact for Treo and Blackberry owners)
Remote (for controlling Keynote presentations)
iRecorder (for site notes, ideas in the car, etc)
Tasks
Clock (countdown timers)
Loopt (for finding other crew members in a crowded site)
…and there are more web shortcuts as well…I won’t completely bore you.

But you get the picture.  If my iPhone is in my hand, it’s in use, most likely for work-related activity.  But it’s so much MORE than a phone.  I seldom use the phone functions on the iPhone.  Less than 25% of my time, I would guess (and I use it for SALES!)

I rest my case, but again…I don’t know how “typical” a user I am, but I know plenty of other people who use them for business, and that number will only increase with further app development, further integrating it into business/server-class applications for larger workgroups.  It’s already happening.  The next rev of the iPhone should be a pretty major release as well…and I’m sure I’ll have one.

Another rambling from the exhaust of the Rocket Pop!

Scott

I referenced the following sources:
http://blog.compete.com/2009/04/29/iphone-smartphone-personal-business-usage/

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/04/28/apple-iphone-owners-dont-use-it-for-work/

We all assumed pigs would fly first.  I knew that we’d discover the lost city of Atlantis and cure the common cold before we finally finished Rocket Pop Media.com.  Yet, as I type this, our site is now live!

As with all websites, it’s a work in progress and will be developing continually as we produce new pieces, launch new businesses into social media, and publish more websites for our interactive clients.  This is going to be fun, and we’d love you to join us – your feedback would be appreciated…after all, we’re a little close to the whole process.

So, let’s here from you!  If you have any comments, corrections, criticisms, or praise, we’d love to get an email from you.  Email us here!

Thanks, and happy surfing…yet another note spewn from the exhaust of the Rocket Pop!

Cheers,

Scott
- – - – - – - – - – -
Scott Dickens
President and Executive Producer
Rocket Pop Media
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Connect:
http://www.rocketpopmedia.com
Rocket Pop Media on Twitter (follow us!)
Scott Dickens on Twitter (follow me!)
Scott Dickens on Facebook
Scott Dickens on LinkedIn
Scott Dickens on MySpace

YouTube has become the “Zerox” of online video…nobody says “did you see that new movie about the dog skateboarding on that internet video streaming service” – they just say “check it out on YouTube!” That being said, not all video streaming sites are created equal. In addition to the ubiquitous YouTube.com, there’s Vimeo.com, SmugMug.com, blip.tv, ifilm.com, jumpcut, metacafe, isofa.tv, and countless others who offer video services. Which look best? Which should you use to host your video content? Here’s a quick overview:

Rocket Pop Media studio, with Canon XHA1

Which look the best? Well…with the onslaught of HD content uploading at any given moment it has become clear that video is the medium of choice for most people on the net, in varying degrees of sophistication. The number of cell phone videos posted from frat parties is almost the same as the number of movie trailers, corporate pieces, viral ad campaigns, and video business profiles, and it can be done with almost any type of camera in any location. The quality, however, is just as varying. YouTube and Facebook are the most common social sites to host video, while Facebook is the clear winner for incorporating all your other content seamlessly with your videos. YouTube remains the leader with search engines (maybe Google owning the company has something to do with that?) and for common, easy interface that most people have become familiar with.

In YouTube, to get the most out of your viewing experience, hop on a high-speed internet connection (which most everyone has these days) and make sure you select “HD” or at a minimum “HQ” at the bottom of the video window. This ensures that the video streams at the highest resolution possible. HQ and HD look similar in the small window, but you’ll notice a big difference when viewing HD full-screen. You should see nearly the same quality as Apple’s movie trailer page, one of the benchmarks to be measured against.

HINT: if you have a YouTube account, go to “Playback Setup” in your account settings and select the third choice “I Have a Fast Connection” which basically lets YouTube know to playback videos that you watch while logged in at the highest possible rate! No more hitting the “HQ” button if you’re signed in. You’ll still have to select full screen if you want to view that way, but hey…one less click is one less click.

If you’re using YouTube as your video host and you want to show HD video, then you need to know what kind of file to upload. YouTube says it can handle “tons” of video types, but these settings yield the best quality:

* Video Format: H.264, MPEG-2 or MPEG-4 preferred (H.264 yields consistently good quality for smallest size)
* Aspect Ratio: Native aspect ratio without letterboxing (examples: 4:3, 16:9) – all HD content should be 16×9
* Resolution: 1280×720 (16×9 HD), 640×360 (16:9) or 480×360 (4:3) – stick to 1280×720 if you’re shooting in HD!
* Audio Format: MP3 or AAC preferred – they would also prefer 44.1khz sound, not 48.
* Frames per second: 30
* Maximum length: 10 minutes (we recommend 2-3 minutes)
* Maximum file size: 1 GB

HINT: If you’re sending a link to a friend or posting it on a site, here’s a quick tip to make sure the video displays to your recipient in the highest quality possible. Take your link, something like “http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjxzjGpOZ4Q” and add “&fmt=22″ to the end, yielding a link like this: “http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjxzjGpOZ4Q&fmt=22″ – go ahead, click the different examples and you’ll see that the second one should load in a wide aspect ratio in true 720 HD. The first link shows as either standard or HQ. If you have something that needs to look critically AMAZING on the other end, make sure you add “&fmt=22″. If you use embed codes, note that they’re also using the new 16×9 dimensions.

If you’re uploading to Facebook, they’re a little more cagey about specific information, unless you know where to look on their developer blogs! If you use the exact same specification file as listed above in the YouTube comments, then you are GOLDEN. 1280×720 HD! They have similar limitations: ten minutes, 1 gig file. Once the video is up on Facebook, it becomes EXTREMELY easy to share, pass around, and chat about on Facebook…that’s 200,000,000 (MILLION) users who love to see interesting video.

Now go make a movie! Or I know this company….thanks for riding the rocket!

Cheers,

Scott and the gang at Rocket Pop Media

Inauguration day, 2009.

I’ve been trying to put my finger on it.  Sure, I know we have a new President in Barack Obama.  I supported him.  I made a few calls here and there, and donated to the campaign.  The inauguration was amazing, from the musical artists on Sunday to his unexpected walk down the parade route with the first lady.  Even more amazing is the general concensus amongst the public to support him and his leadership of the country.   A great statistic was discussed last night on Anderson Cooper and CNN: 68% of Republicans and Independents (just making sure you read that last part!) say that they’d like to support the policies of our new President rather than bar his progress…let’s just hope that the legislature saw the same stat, right?

Protesters steal the show at Bush's 2nd Inauguration

Anyone remember Bush’s 2nd inauguration?  They cut the parade short and actually took DOWN bleachers because they were concerned the route would look empty (which it did).  Protesters stole the show, and Bush’s speach fell flat.  Around that same time Bush told the media that he would not “lead by focus group,” which sent the message “hey, I’m the decider, why should I listen to the general public?”

Fast forward four years:  hope is in the air.  Not a single protest was reported as far as I can tell. On the mall, 2 million or so citizens showed up to see Obama begin his first term.  White, black, hispanic, asian, gay, straight, grandparents, toddlers, rich, poor, Democrats, and Republicans all showed up to support our new leader.  Around 2 million people.  Not counting the thousands that tried but just never made it there.  One thing that was unanimously reported was the tone of the crowd, the vibe, the emotion.  People had a spring in their step and a smile on their face.  Everyone was positive and full of dreams of how THEY can help the new administration.  Almost every interview I saw included people saying:  “I’m here to be part of history and let President Obama know we’re behind him and we’re ready to help”, or something similar.  I watched the broadcast on CNN HD, and the crowd was intensely celebratory and amazing to see on my 1080p HD flatscreen.  It was staggering, in fact.  And it was the most watched television event ever.  No program has been as universally watched as this one.   I can’t imagine the pressure of walking up to that podium to deliver the address, knowing the world’s eyes are upon you.

In our times, government has spiraled out of control and been inflated to the bloated beast that Obama just inherited.  We have to be patient and give him some time to turn this around, but the vast majority of people I encounter are incredibly ready to help.  This is going to be a process of recovery for the country.  Gitmo will be ordered shut down by the end of the week, Stem Cell laws will be loosened by the end of the week, the stimulus package will be approved, as will the remaining cabinet appointees.  I like this man’s work ethic.  I think he worked more the month leading to his inauguration than Bush did all of last year.  Well, maybe not….but it seemed that way.

I’m happy to be ruled by someone who uses words like “hope” and “change” instead of “evil” and “terror”.  Why is that so bad?  Obama knows about the threats to the country, but doesn’t use them as a tool to elicit support for a particular agenda.  I loved the transparency and tone of the campaign.  Frankly, most people seem to be happier, more hopeful individuals with him in office.

Lastly, even Bush seemed relieved to be out from under the microscope after so many years of his life.  I don’t blame him.  I hope he sleeps well at night, very far from influence on American policy.

Another random thought spewn forth from a more hopeful Rocket Pop,

Scott

iPhone photo taken by jkrums, posted on TwitPic

Cara and I were on the highway Thursday afternoon for a wonderful dinner in DC at Legal Seafood, then a mind-bending concert from Metallica (incredible, by the way!).  On the way, Cara checked her Facebook account on her iPhone when she saw an update from a friend about the US Airways crash on the Hudson River.  But she didn’t see any real news of a cause or outcome.  After firing up MY iPhone and paging to the New York Times app, which just refused to update, caused by a massive hit of traffic I assume.  So I paged over to Tweetie on my iPhone where I immediately saw a stream of about 30 tweets about outcome, cause, links to pictures, the captain’s name, and anything else I’d ever want to know regarding the amazing splashdown by “Sully.”

It was the first time I can recall relying solely on Twitter for first-hand news reporting…and ACCURATE reporting I might add, partially from the constant fact-checking and “communal” nature of the medium.

In my mind, this was a watershed event.  A shift away from mass, commercial media outlets like radio or television stations, to more non-commercial means of communication…one owned and operated by a conscientious public eager to provide information that others might find valuable.  In the process, many major news outlets picked up their photography of the plane from bystanders submitting shots from their iPhones! Somehow I knew Apple would find a way to prove valuable, even in NY during a cold emergency.

Another emission from the exhaust of the Rocket Pop,

Cheers,
Scott

Not that this is a revelation, if you follow Guy Kawasaki.  He’s a venture capitalist, author, social media freak, and one of the most entertaining, knowledgeable people when it comes to the inner workings of the Bay Area and launching successful companies.  You can find a ton of information about him online, but his new book Reality Check is all about new business development in the modern landscape of social networking.

He got much attention a month or so ago when he said he’d rather give up his cell phone than Twitter.  A pretty bold statement, one which I view as indicative of more people each day.  The lifespan of a thought, deed, or action has been shortened to a frighteningly brief time frame, leaving content creators with a dilemma.  How do you provide useful, thoughtful information that will establish some traction with a reader, viewer, or audience when your thought is being shoved aside by another thousand pouring in behind yours?  If you don’t find a way to broadcast through the static, each of us are at risk of becoming what we hate most about the internet:  static.

Here’s a quick link to Guy discussing his new book, venture capital, and the importance of Social Networking.  Cheers!

Guy Kawasaki on social networking.

Nothing looks quite so empty as a blog with no posts.  Here I sit with this very scenario staring me in the face.  The struggle for relevancy with so many amazing resources at your disposal is extremely important to me.  You have our assurance that this blog will be informational, entertaining, brief (but to-the-point), and always a source for positive development.

What will we be discussing, you might be asking yourself.  Good question, glad you’re providing feedback already.  Good start.

• The Rocket Ride will focus on video production, both professional and amateur.  After all, we know as well as the next person that video and motion graphics are just plain FUN to dabble in.  But even on the amateur level ther are some tips, tricks, and helpful hints to make your home movie of the kids into a masterpiece of viral video.   We’ll do our best to make video production easier for you, while also giving you a glimpse into professional production techniques, tips, links, and general HD video goodness from all corners of the web.  Good stuff!
• Secondly, we will be a resource for the development of Social Networking.  The expansion of Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Twitter, FriendFeed, and many other networks has done more to join different cultures, countries, and even connect those elusive high school friends that have been off your radar for years.  Businesses and individuals alike are benefiting greatly from these new virtual connections to their friends and customers.  More than ever it’s important to know the benefits, the pitfalls, and the guidelines for truly effective social communication.  It’s a different world each day and somebody needs to track the important developments while sifting through the digital noise to bring you the filet minon of social networking info.  That’s us.
• Lastly, we exist in a community rich with culture, art, history, and commaraderie.  It would be a shame not to include Richmond, VA in the mix and provide a springboard for community-based discussion, specifically with an eye toward digital media and its effects on the world around us.  Expect much influence from local musicians, film producers, social media experts, artists, and anything else in Richmond that we feel should be shared.  Viva RVA!

Thanks for joining us on the journey, and we look forward to hearing from you.

Regards,

Scott Dickens
RocketPopScott